Saturday, May 31, 2014

Pittsburgh's 1,2,3 cranked up the guitars for
their first gig in a little under two years to celebrate the release
of an album itself two years in the making. The floor-shaking Big
Weather release show served as reminder to all those in
attendance what all that initial buzz was about.

The band brought out a xylophone, harmonica,
12-string acoustic, and even sleigh bells to give flesh to their
rustic breed of campfire rock, before blasting any remaining cobwebs
away with a deluge of pedal fuzz.

But it wasn't the guitar power that most impressed
at Brillbox Friday night: Lead singer Nic Snyder easily alternated
between a sweet pop simplicity witnessed in the singalong favorite
"Scared But Not That Scared," to a gravelly cry in
stomp-along closer "Leave Me in the Sky with the Lawn Chair."
He's got pipes and passion both.

The group showed a few signs of rust, most
obviously when they flubbed a transition between two songs whose
tempos just couldn't be bridged. Otherwise it was a tight exhibition
of songs old and new performed with vigor and enthusiasm. The crowd
demanded an encore, but 1,2,3 demurred, quite earnestly explaining
that they honestly hadn't rehearsed any more songs. I for one agree
with the drunk guy who yelled out for "Shapes of Wrath",
one of the highlights from their 80-minute long donnybrook of a new
album.

So now, with the album properly celebrated, and no
tour dates on the horizon, one big question remains. What's next?

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Future Villains play Stage AE Wednesday, opening for Steel Panther on their All You Can Eat tour. The LA band has a self-titled EP to their name and specialize in a classic-rock sound; they count Deep Purple and Aerosmith among their biggest influences. Here's the video for their single "Devil in Her Bones:"

We were fortunate enough to talk with lead singer Dusty Bo prior to their stop in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Music Report: First of all, how has the tour been?
Pittsburgh is your next to last stop. Is it too early to start
getting sentimental?

Dusty Bo: The tour has been an amazing adventure so far and
we are saddened that it is nearly over.

PMR: Are they any gigs from the tour that stand
out in your mind? You've played some great venues.

DB: They have all been awesome but Seattle, WA [The Showbox] and
Silver Spring, MD [The Filmore] were the most stand out I would say.

PMR: What's it been like touring with Steel
Panther? I feel like the two of you put together have enough material
to challenge Hammer of the Gods.

DB: It's a great time touring with SP. For as
successful and talented as those guys are it is incredible how humble
and genuine they all are. Never have I seen ANY of the members of
that band be anything other than a stand up gent.

PMR: You've been playing a few songs off your new
EP as well as some classic rock favorites. How do you find that right
balance between the two? Can you give us a hint to which bands
you might cover when you visit Pittsburgh?

DB: We find balance I guess by choosing a couple
covers that influenced our originals and are high energy to keep the
crowd's blood pumpin'! I will not give you a hint, other than it will
be AC/DC and Deep Purple.

PMR: What's next for Future Villains after the
tour wraps up? More touring? Is it too early to ask for a full-length
LP?

DB: Were going to start pre-production for the music
video to our latest single, "Reject,"as well as get back to the studio for more tunes that will eventually make it on to the LP.

Friday, May 23, 2014

You already knew Tosin Abasi would be incredible, but how about that drummer!? Here are some photos from Animals as Leaders at the Rex Thursday, along with Conquering Dystopia. Wanted to get their early enough to see Chon, but I was locked in heated battle with a sandwich the size of a bowling ball at Fathead's. (Despite my best efforts, the sandwich won.)